The New York Times
A U.S. House district in South Texas will send a Republican to Congress for the first time in its 10-year history.
Mayra Flores, a Republican and respiratory-care health aide, scored a significant victory in a special election on Tuesday for the party, which has been trying to capitalize on its successes in 2020 in the Democratic stronghold of the Rio Grande Valley. She will be the first Latina Republican from Texas in Congress.
Ms. Flores defeated three opponents in the special election to replace former Representative Filemon Vela, a Democrat who retired this year before the end of his term. She captured more than 50 percent of the vote in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press, and will avoid an expected runoff with Dan Sanchez, a Democrat and former commissioner in Cameron County.
Her win may only be temporary, however.
The special election was held to determine who would fill the remainder of Mr. Vela’s term until the end of this year. Voters in the general election in November will decide who will become the district’s permanent representative beginning in January. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, who currently represents a neighboring district, is the Democratic nominee for November, and is widely favored to win the race against Ms. Flores, who is also running to fill the seat permanently in November.
Republicans have directed enormous sums of money and attention to the race in recent weeks, seeking an early victory in a district that includes the border city of Brownsville. Ms. Flores raised 16 times the amount of money that Mr. Sanchez did. And she and her allies have spent more than $1 million on television advertisements, while Democrats have largely stayed off the air.
Republicans believe they have found an ideal candidate for the region in Ms. Flores, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a young child. Her parents spent years working as migrant farmworkers in Texas. She is the wife of a Border Patrol agent and has campaigned on strict immigration enforcement in the overwhelmingly Mexican American district.
“We’ve been voting California values, Austin values, but not South Texas values,” she said at a campaign event earlier this year. “This is our country.”
Like other Hispanic Republicans in the region, Ms. Flores has continually attacked Democrats for not paying enough attention to South Texas, where former President Donald J. Trump made significant inroads with Hispanic voters in 2020. And she has fiercely embraced the Trump wing of the party and its false stolen-election claims.
The special election presented significant challenges for Democrats.
Because of new lines that were drawn in the redistricting process, Democrats hold a slimmer margin in the special election than they will in November. Mr. Vela surprised Democrats when he announced his decision in March to become a lobbyist before his term finished. Mr. Gonzalez decided against resigning from his current seat to run in the special election.
Democrats were largely reluctant to put resources into a special election in a district that they view as a safe bet in November. Instead, they have been more focused on the neighboring 15th District, Mr. Gonzalez’s current seat. That district is seen as one of the few competitive ones in Texas this year.
A U.S. House district in South Texas will send a Republican to Congress for the first time in its 10-year history.
Mayra Flores, a Republican and respiratory-care health aide, scored a significant victory in a special election on Tuesday for the party, which has been trying to capitalize on its successes in 2020 in the Democratic stronghold of the Rio Grande Valley. She will be the first Latina Republican from Texas in Congress.
Ms. Flores defeated three opponents in the special election to replace former Representative Filemon Vela, a Democrat who retired this year before the end of his term. She captured more than 50 percent of the vote in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press, and will avoid an expected runoff with Dan Sanchez, a Democrat and former commissioner in Cameron County.
Her win may only be temporary, however.
The special election was held to determine who would fill the remainder of Mr. Vela’s term until the end of this year. Voters in the general election in November will decide who will become the district’s permanent representative beginning in January. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, who currently represents a neighboring district, is the Democratic nominee for November, and is widely favored to win the race against Ms. Flores, who is also running to fill the seat permanently in November.
Republicans have directed enormous sums of money and attention to the race in recent weeks, seeking an early victory in a district that includes the border city of Brownsville. Ms. Flores raised 16 times the amount of money that Mr. Sanchez did. And she and her allies have spent more than $1 million on television advertisements, while Democrats have largely stayed off the air.
Republicans believe they have found an ideal candidate for the region in Ms. Flores, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a young child. Her parents spent years working as migrant farmworkers in Texas. She is the wife of a Border Patrol agent and has campaigned on strict immigration enforcement in the overwhelmingly Mexican American district.
“We’ve been voting California values, Austin values, but not South Texas values,” she said at a campaign event earlier this year. “This is our country.”
Like other Hispanic Republicans in the region, Ms. Flores has continually attacked Democrats for not paying enough attention to South Texas, where former President Donald J. Trump made significant inroads with Hispanic voters in 2020. And she has fiercely embraced the Trump wing of the party and its false stolen-election claims.
The special election presented significant challenges for Democrats.
Because of new lines that were drawn in the redistricting process, Democrats hold a slimmer margin in the special election than they will in November. Mr. Vela surprised Democrats when he announced his decision in March to become a lobbyist before his term finished. Mr. Gonzalez decided against resigning from his current seat to run in the special election.
Democrats were largely reluctant to put resources into a special election in a district that they view as a safe bet in November. Instead, they have been more focused on the neighboring 15th District, Mr. Gonzalez’s current seat. That district is seen as one of the few competitive ones in Texas this year.
28 comments:
Congratulations to Mayra Flores, looks like the DemocRAT party took a whipping under the leadership of Homeyka and Gilberto the RAT Hinojosa, whoo has been involved with the democRAT party in Cameron for at least the last 4 decades. It is Great and it certainly was time for a change and in November it will be the SAME results. Vicente "que chinga la Gente" gonzalez and La Mentira Morgana will not be elected. RED WAVE BABY.
Glad to see that a Republican Mayra Flores won this election and hope that Carlos Cascos wins in November 2022 as well. Time to put out the trash with all these democRATS that have ruled for way too long (decades) and only benefit themselves, example (Eddie Lucio Jr worth $90 Million dollars with a yearly salary of only $8000.00. Gee Whiz, come on Eddie gives us the formula on those stocks you invested in that made you rich, so we can do the same too.
No seas GACHO.
Packed her bags for Mar-A-Lago yet - the ultimate Mexican Dream?
ja ja aja ja
sonsa.
Every Democrat Elected Official is responsilbe for ALL of the Cameron County Losses. It is sad to know that every elected Demorcrat Elected official both County and Precint Chairs received money from known Republican Supporters in exchange for support. Now Cameron County has no local Representaion in Cameron County. Both at the State level and now at the Congress Level.
You Cameron County Democrats are to blame. All for money and now you will get crumbs if at that.
Ola roja bebe.
Dan Sanchez apesta.
Even if she loses in November, there will be more like her in a Republican controlled Congress.
Beano O'Rourke is lower in the polls after the stunt he pulled on the governor's press conference. Funny how the Democrats flock to a fake Mexican while hating on a real Mexican Republican woman.
June 15, 2022 at 9:08 AM
To do the house cleaning and garbage disposal errands!
TEMPORARILY ONLY!!
Local democrats who use city funds to pay themselves and their friends are part of the conversion of local dems to join the republicans.
With that the liberal left movement is causing the staunch Catholics to reconsider their vote.
You can thank the indictments of the officials and their local leaders for the disillusion.
Spend all your money downtown- where you and your friends own buildings and hang out.
The rest of us either can’t afford or refuse to walk through the stench of urine.
Invest in brownsville. Invest in ALL of brownsville not just the block you own.
All I know is I’m registering to vote. If you think her serving from November to election day will be useful it wont. With Cascos I lean red but with these nutshells no. I see City Commissioner d-riding Elon and was being vocal about her support for Flores. It is sickening, she has to go.
se le acabo el pedo a dan sanchez, gilberto hinoja and hockema. Red Wave baby
Please resign Jared at the next local democratic meeting
@ 6/15 9:08 a.m.
She is going to Mar-A-Lago to go get grabbed by pus ... by Trumputo. Then she'll say she did not know that was going to happen.
I could never in good conscience vote Republican, but this is a wake-up call to all incompetent democrats who mostly seek office to enrich themselves. These political dynasties have hurt our community so much. You need to do more for the people because guess what? Republicans are effectively manipulating Hispanics to make them think they’re part of their club. This is a direct result of our broken education system that has been pumping out students who are INCAPABLE of critical thinking skills. Anyone with a bit of sense and knowledge of history immediately knows Republicans are not looking out for minorities. Wake up
democrats or face more of this in the future.
She won Juanito despite your feeble attempts to disparage and discredit her. Perhaps you should take a different approach and report news that represents the sentiments of your readership and not the people who pay you. Losing your touch amigo.
The democratic rats of Brownsville are bringing their big guns for the November elections. The taqache paycheck for the stupid people of Brownsville who believe everything the democrats tell about them that Trump is coming to take their food stamps. The people must vote democratic or be thrown into the streets of Brownsville, sorry, the people are already in the streets because Brownsville is Mexico.
The democratic party allowed this by not supporting Dan Sanchez. Shameful.
Sa
To all the democratic delagates who will be attending the State Democratic conference in Dallas in July: PLEASE VOTE GILBERT HINOJOSA OUT OF THE COMMITTEE OR WE WILL CONTINUE LOSING EVERY FUTURE ELECTION>" We need a younger dynamic, energetic male or female individual who is willing to kick ass.
Congrats to my fellow Hispanics for seeing the light and voting with their head . very proud of you.
Just love the fact that Bee, Goliad, San Patricio and Dimitt counties got out the vote for the first Republican Latina for the US Congress from the RGV. They will only get the pleasure of Congresswoman Flores representation until November when new district boundaries take effect.
It's just great to see that they could stick to the RGV Democratic/Socialists.
Dan Sanchez se la come.
Republican Liz Cheney to GOP and America: Trump did it, and we're coming for him
Thursday's explosive hearing laid it out: Trump "oversaw and coordinated" a seven-point plan to overthrow election.
NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. Cheeto is only one chip.
Thank you Gilberto, for your great work. Turning Texas Red! Todo por que no quiere a los Sánchez! Wrong! That’s just wrong.
Not temporary’! This democratic is tired of the party … democrats have abandoned their values and have sold us out! Open borders … and defunding our policy .. no sir not here
Now it's time for a change and hope she can make some kind of difference.
Sanchez with his BS and no vision or plan for making things better deserved to lose, REMEMBER the ARENA. Vicente, Vela & Sanchez bashing & putting down their opponent instead of coming up with original ideas. People are tired of their BS and want and deserve better.
Dan Sanchez' feral hog looks didn't do him any favors.
TEMPORARILY ONLY!! bone with a string hahahahahaaaa
I am sure that any parent that sees this rifle toting Flores lady in her true colors will never vote for her in November after the Uvalde massacre. I guess she does not get it, that being a Mexican born woman is something Trumpsters will never accept. I guess she never saw him coming down that escalator and saying "Mexicans were rapist and murderers". Also, she is a QAnon Trump believer. Wow! And they still voted for this nut job? I thought it was a joke. Brownsville voters need to get educated. You might not have had the best politicians representing you (both Democrats and Republicans) but now you have a conspiracy believer! My, my voters you need to read and educate yourself. Now what will this politician do for you all? SHE IS A JOKE just like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene. GOOD LUCK!
Racist republicans will NEVER help meskins not even cocos, but its only a temp job. Four months and change is coming. Out with the wanna beeeees!
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